Medical procedures, and the medical devices employed in the procedures, may expose a patient to a risk of a nosocomial (e.g., hospital-acquired) infection. For example, the average nosocomial infection rate associated with the implantation of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators is approximately 3%. In some cases of infection, the implantable medical device, including a device housing and any associated electrical leads or catheters, must be completely removed. Following removal, the infection must be cured and the patient must heal enough to tolerate implantation of a replacement medical device. The costs of such infections are significant, not only intrinsically, but also in terms of the physical and emotional stress suffered by the patient.
Despite infection control practices, such as sterilizing devices, infectious microorganisms may be transmitted from the skin of patients or from a hospital or clinic environment to a medical device. Medical devices in the hospital environment may include for example, catheters, implantable cardio-defibrillators, pacemakers, implantable electrical leads, medical tools, and diagnostic equipment surfaces such as touch pads and displays.
What is needed is a way to prevent nosocomial infections which may result from infectious microorganisms transferred from contaminated medical devices to a patient.